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Monday, July 7, 2008

This month's Marvellous Mums theme: Marvellous Memories

Well there’s a lot that happens in a year and for those of you who I have shared this Marvellous Mums journey with, I thank you sincerely for your kindness and support.Before getting in to the MARVELLOUS MEMORIES, I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank a few people who have been particularly encouraging over the course of this venture so far…Firstly my wonderful husband Dave, who not only gave me his undivided attention back at the beginning of last year when I first had this idea but throughout the many months of planning, applying for council grants, proof reading newsletters, packing my car the night before, providing signage support (the wonderful banner is from his business Quality Signs) and the many other areas that are too numerous to name. I would not have been able to organise these mornings or see the ‘bigger picture’ without him.

My sister who, last year, was my second biggest supporter, shared in the running of the mornings and the clean-up! She also hosted a morning tea at her house one month when I was unable to and has been a massive believer in the importance of the morning teas for mums, encouraging me to continue the dream during times of uncertainty.

My mum, who many of you know and have seen around at the morning teas this year has been a fantastic help with my children, watching them on the play equipment, helping to feed them and occupy them so that I can oversee the mornings and have more freedom to chat (and relax!) She has provided lots of assistance behind the scenes as well as hands on and I truly could not be doing this without her.

My dear friend Carolyn, who has been overseas for the past few months, has been such a blessing to me from the start. Just to name a few things, she printed hundreds of MM bags for me, texts me from Ireland to see how the mornings have gone and continues to let me bounce ideas off her and share my thoughts.

Lastly, but definitely not the least is my mother’s group. When numbers have been low and I could’ve easily given this idea away, my mother’s group has been there to show their support in more ways than they probably realise. In particular Karine, Mel White and Mel Goffin, Marnie and Julie (in the early days) have all been regular attendees and I will be forever thankful for them mostly because they are all so inspirational to me and true examples of Marvellous Mums!

Now on to the Marvellous Memories of the year gone by…

Marvellous Milestones- Of course the first morning tea would have to be up there! With the focus being ‘Marvellous Mum~ You are Special’, presented in a poem, I particularly loved the part that said, “Out of the billions of mums who could have been chosen to raise your children, only one was qualified, only one has the best combination of what it would take and that is YOU!”

Marvellous Meals- The second morning tea had the theme ‘Recipe Ideas for Marvellous Mums’. Numerous mums emailed me their recipe ideas and I put these together with some information on making meal times less stressful. I know that I found this useful and have looked back on this sheet a few times searching for new ideas for my own kids. It can still be viewed on http://lovingmums-lovingmums.blogspot.com under the ‘food’ posts.

Marvellous Markets and more- A theme true to my heart …from someone who has a Shopping Spree Tour as their 30th birthday party! At the third morning tea, the ‘Marvellous Mums Smart Shoppers Guide’ was handed out and outlined various places to pick up some great deals.The guide included some freebie internet offers, factory outlets, websites dedicated to reporting sales, names of preloved children’s clothing shops and various markets etc.

Marvellous Miracles- Well it was the miracle of Christmas! The final morning tea for 2007 was in November and themed ‘Christmas Time! Getting Ready for Christmas’. My daughter, born the previous December, was turning one and on top of her birthday party plans, I wanted to be as organised as I could to beat the Christmas rush. Incidentally this theme was as much for me as anyone. Listing useful websites, traditions, handy hints and suggestions, recipes, craft ideas and gifts with meaning- it was jam packed with festive ideas to get you in the mood and add your own character to this special season.

Marvellous Mess!- I know this sounds like an oxymoron but the first morning tea for 2008 was titled, ‘Managing the Mess’. It seems to be a constant challenge in my house to control the clutter with two toddlers on the stray but through six steps, I tried to look at ways that have helped me (marginally) keep from going insane. By the way, this is still a work in progress and I am open to any other steps you want to share!

Marvellous Manager- Continuing with the theme of managing the affairs of the home, the April morning tea was focussed on ‘Our Children’s Future’ in relation to looking after our other home… the planet. The newsletter went through various ways that small efforts around the home could make a difference to our environment and encouraged Kingston residents to take up the offer from LESS (Low Energy Supplies and Services) to swap their regular light bulbs to energy saving ones for free. I took up this offer and have been happy with the chance to make a change. It was great to have Andy Paine from LESS out to the morning tea to explain about the light bulbs and answer our questions as well as the Leader newspaper taking lots of photos for an article on our group! This can be viewed through the Marvellous Mums Face Book page.

Marvellous Moments- Mother’s Day 2008. It was a time of reflecting about our own mothers as well as a chance to be spoilt and celebrate the true joy and blessing that being a mum brings. I shared six things that I had learnt about my own mother over the years and encouraged mums to celebrate their children, their role and to make a choice to continue to be marvellous!

Marvellous Maintenance- The theme last month was ‘You’re the Heart of Your Home’ and talked about maintaining the feelings of warmth, care and consideration necessary to create a safe place for your family to be themselves, feel accepted, learn, play, invite friend and make mistakes.

If you’re new to Marvellous Mums or have missed some months, all these monthly topics can be all viewed on the lovingmums blog as well as the www.marvellousmums.com website.

In conclusion, here’s to Marvellous Mums and another year of making memories!

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About Me

In January 2010 my husband and I moved, with our three small children, to South East Asia to work as volunteers at the ZOE Children's Homes.
In my past life (before children) I was a primary school teacher.
I enjoy catching up with friends via email or meeting for a coffee. I have loved every country I have been to so far and I enjoy planning a trip just as much as taking it. Never far away from a sale, market or op shop; I love to hunt for bargains- Thailand is perfect for this!
I am a self confessed sweet tooth, enjoying anything chocolatey. I find it much more fun to bake than cook and get enjoyment out of making cookies, cakes and desserts. And finally, I love planning parties- especially for my kids!